


Aria's Fathers

by Lesphantom



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-03-21 13:57:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13742394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lesphantom/pseuds/Lesphantom
Summary: Ignis and Gladio want to have a child.  They meet up with a colleague of theirs and ask her to be their surrogate.  It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship until tragedy struck.





	1. Chapter 1

It had been three months since Noctis brought the light back to Lucis. Three months of rebuilding the city of Insomnia. Three months that felt like years…

Ignis Scientia and Gladiolus Amicitia had been married for 2 out of three of those months of rebuilding. They had decided to build a small little house together near Lestallum and it was nearing completion. Ignis’ long hours at the citidel were beginning to come to a close and Gladio was teaching a small self defense course at the local gym. 

That night, Gladio and Ignis were meeting a mutual friend for coffee at a nearby shop. They were going to ask her to be their surrogate. It was something that had been on their minds for a long time. Lynn had made a good impression upon the two men and they both loved her. Lynn was already like family to them.

Gladio held Ignis’ slender hand in his as they waited patiently for Lynn to arrive. Gladio sipped his coffee. Ignis gave Gladio’s hand a gentle squeeze. Gladio looked at Ignis. 

“Nervous?” said Gladio.

“A bit…” Ignis admitted, adjusting his visor. “Do we have a plan B?”

“You really think Lynnie’s gonna say no?” said Gladio.

“No… but I think that we should still have a plan…” Ignis said.

Gladio chuckled and he placed a light kiss to the top of Ignis’ hand. “Relax, Ig. It’ll be just fine.”

“What’s taking her so long..?” said Ignis.

“Ok, now you’re excited…” said Gladio.

Ignis chuckled. “Yes, I suppose I am… Think about it Gladio…”

“I know. We’ll be fathers… Hopefully.” said Gladio.

The bell of the coffee shoppe chimed. Lynn walked to the counter and ordered herself a coffee, her blonde locks cascading down her back. The men watched as the barista handed her her coffee and she sauntered over towards them.

“Man, they’ll let anyone in here, won’t they?” Lynn said with a grin.

“Hey, Lynnie.” said Gladio.

“Hello Ms. Coffin.” said Ignis.

“Oh, Iggy! I’ve asked you repeatedly to call me Lynn or Lynnie. Ms. Coffin’s too formal….” Lynn said, putting her coat on the back of a chair.

“I’m sorry. It’s just habit…”

“No you’re not.” Lynn said with a smile. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of having coffee with my two favorite people?”

“Well… um…” Ignis began.

“We want to ask you to have our baby.” Gladio blurted out.

Lynn’s eyes widened. “Are you sure I’m the best choice?”

“Do you not want to do it, Lynn?” said Gladio.

“No!” Lynn said. “I’d love to do it! You know I’d do anything for you guys. I just… I don’t want to screw this up…”

“Come now!” said Ignis. “You’ve got to have a positive attitude, Lynn.”

“Iggy’s right, Lynnie.” said Gladio.

Lynn grinned. “Well… I’d love to. Anything I can do to make the two of you happy!”

Ignis gave Lynn a giant smile. Gladio released Ignis’ hand and he walked over to Lynn, engulfing her in a bear hug. Lynn laughed. 

“So what do I have to do?” Lynn said.

“We have the artificial egg and the sperm cells all done and taken care of. All you have to do is go to the doctor.” said Ignis.

“She’ll determine whether or not your… lady parts… are suitable I guess and then we’ll proceed with the injection.”

“Lady parts, Gladdy? Really?” Lynn said.

“Hey! I don’t know what exactly you got down there!” Gladio said, going a bit pink.

“It’s basic anatomy, darling.” said Ignis, with a small smile.

Lynn laughed. “Oh dear God…”

“Thank you for doing this, Lynn…” said Ignis seriously.

“Yeah. Thanks, Lynn. Just you agreeing to being our surrogate… It’s big. And it means the world to us…”

“Hey, no sweat guys! Hopefully my “lady parts” are suitable.”

Ignis laughed. “Indeed.”

“I’m never living that down am I?” said Gladio

“Not as long as I am living…” said Lynn, sipping her coffee.


	2. Chapter 2

Six months later, Lynn had moved in with the boys temporarily as she was carrying their child. Gladio and Ignis adored doting on Lynn and spending time talking to the baby growing in her stomach. Ignis would tell fantastic made up stories and he would occasionally sing to the baby when Gladio wasn’t in the room. Gladio on the other hand would tell Lynn’s stomach true stories about their adventure across Eos. 

Ignis was telling one of his stories to the baby, his hand resting gently on Lynn’s stomach when he felt it. The baby kicked. Ignis looked up at Lynn, open eye wide with surprise. Lynn let out a small squeal. Gladio rushed over, sending his book flying. 

“D-did it just…?” Ignis said.

“Yep. The baby kicked! It likes the story you were telling!” Lynn said.

“Holy shit this is actually happening...” said Gladio.

“What, the fact that I’ve suddenly ballooned up wasn’t your first clue?” Lynn said.

“Oh stuff it. You know what I mean...” said Gladio, placing his hand next to Ignis’.

“Oof. Did you feel that?” Lynn said.

“Astrals! We’re gonna have a soccer player!” said Gladio.

“You OK over there Iggy?” said Lynn, noticing the blind man’s silence.

“Um… yes… just… a bit… overwhelmed...” Ignis said, voice shaking.

“What’s up Ig?” said Gladio.

“What if I fail as a father?” Ignis said, suddenly.

“Ignis… You won’t fail! If anything, Gladdy’s the one I’m worried about!” said Lynn.

“HEY!” Gladio said.

“Just sayin’ man… Iggy, you’ll be just fine. Your son or daughter is going to love you almost as much as you love them...” Lynn said.

Ignis glanced up at Lynn, a lone tear falling from his slightly unmarred cheek. “You think I can do it?”

“Babe, you’ve got this.” said Gladio, taking Ignis’s hand in his. “We both do.”

“And I’m a phone call away if you need anything.” Lynn said.

Ignis nodded. “Thank you, both. I… had a moment of weakness.”

“Hon, you’re allowed. Being a father is a scary as hell thing… especially when you don’t know what you’re doing.” said Gladio.

“Yeah. I’m with Gladio. I have faith in both of you. You can do this!”

“Anyway, Iggy, continue the story. The baby likes it.” said Gladio.

“Right...” Ignis said.

Lynn smiled watching the two men. Ignis told the story with more animation than he had been and Gladio listened intently. Both of their hands still rested on her stomach. The baby continued to kick as Ignis spoke. The moment Ignis finished the story, the kicking reached an almost painful amount. Lynn held back a cry of pain, biting her bottom lip.

“You OK, Lynn?” Gladio said.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” Lynn said in a strained voice.

“Do the kicks hurt?” said Ignis.

“They do now. It’s like the same spot….” said Lynn.

“Anything we can do to help?” said Gladio.

“Nah. It’s cool. Just… ow...” said Lynn.

“You should lie down, dear.” Ignis said.

“Yeah, we’ve had enough belly time for today.” said Gladio.

“If you guys want to do more, I can---”

“Go lie down if it hurts, Lynn.” said Gladio.

“It’s your baby… not mine. You make the calls not me.” Lynn said.

“Lynn, darling, please. Lie down. The baby will still be there tomorrow.” said Ignis.

“Alright. Sorry for interrupting...”

“Will you go lie down already, girlie? It’s fine. “ said Gladio.

Lynn nodded. “Right.” 

Gladio helped Lynn to her feet and he guided her to the bedroom. He made sure that she had everything she needed within reach before he left the room. Ignis was leaning against the kitchen counter with a mug of Ebony. Gladio wrapped his arms around Ignis’ waist. Ignis let out a light chuckle before setting the mug on the counter and leaning back into Gladio’s arms.

“Hey. I love you.” said Gladio.

“I love you too.”

“It’s finally sinking in huh?” said Gladio.

“Yes. And it’s beginning to get scary...”

“And this is only the beginning...” said Gladio.


	3. Chapter 3

To Gladio, everything was a blur. The only thing he was aware of was Ignis’ hand in his and the fact that Lynn’s water had broken. He had driven everyone to the hospital and he rushed Lynn into the emergency room. Currently, Gladio and Ignis were waiting outside in the waiting room until someone gave them some news.

“The Amicitia-Scientias?” a short brown haired nurse said as she approached 

Ignis and Gladio stood up. The nurse smiled and she led them back to a room. Lynn was lying on the bed in the room trying to control her breathing. Gladio and Ignis rushed to her side.

“The doctor will be here soon and we’ll see how far along you are.” said the nurse.

Ignis nodded. “Thank you.”

“How you doin’ kid?” Gladio said.

“Oh, ok… About to have a baby but I’m doing swell...” said Lynn.

“No need for sarcasm...” said Ignis, with a grin. “Are you in pain?”

“Only when the contractions start. Then it’s red-hot searing pain for what feels like forever, but it’s only like thirty seconds...” said Lynn.

“Ouch...” said Gladio.

“Very ouch.” said Lynn. “Shit…”

Lynn gripped the white sheets, her knuckles going pure white. Ignis rubbed her shoulders soothingly as she tried to breathe through the pain. After about a minute, Lynn’s knuckles returned to normal and she relaxed. 

“Thanks Iggy.” Lynn said.

“Not an issue. If it helps you get through it, I’m happy to do it.” said Ignis.

“Way to make me jealous!” said Gladio with a grin.

“Hey! I’m the one havin’ a baby here, Gladiolus!” said Lynn.

“I do believe he was joking, darling.” said Ignis with a slight chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah. Well next time, he’s having the baby...” Lynn said.

Ignis laughed. “It would be quite difficult due to him not having any… “lady parts”.”

Lynn laughed. “Yes! Thank you Ignis!”

Gladio shook his head. “I am never living that down...”

Lynn smiled. “Nope.”

6 hours later, Lynn was in actual labor. Gladio and Ignis held both of her hands and tried to keep her calm. Lynn pushed as hard as she could. After a few sets of pushes, a loud cry was heard. Lynn collapsed back against the pillow, exhausted. Gladio and Ignis looked up and they saw their baby girl being weighed. 

“We’re parents, Iggy...” Gladio said, tearfully.

“Yes… and I’m excited about the future… How does she look Gladio?”

“Absolutely perfect. She’s got your nose.”

Ignis chuckled. “What else?”

“A little mop of brown hair.” 

“9 pounds 3.5 ounces. 20 inches long.” the nurse said. “She’ll be down in the nursery for a little bit if you’d like to go see her.”

“Big baby...” said Gladio.

“How are you doing, Lynn?” said Ignis.

“I’m tired...” Lynn said, softly.

“You did an amazing job, Lynnie.” said Gladio. “We appreciate this… really.”

“Hush. Thank me later. Go enjoy your daughter.” Lynn said.

Gladio squeezed Lynn’s shoulders and Ignis kissed her forehead. Lynn chuckled and she made a shooing motion with her hands. Gladio chuckled. Once they were outside the room, Ignis turned to Gladio. 

“How is Lynn? Really...” said Ignis.

“She looks whipped. I mean who wouldn’t be after the trauma her body went through.” said Gladio. 

“True.” Ignis said.

“We still need to come up with a name.” said Gladio.

“How about Aria?” Ignis suggested.

“Aria Lynn Amicitia-Scientia….?” said Gladio.

“I like it...” said Ignis

“Think Lynn will mind us using her name for her middle name?” said Gladio.

“Not at all. She did the most work for this and she had to carry her….” said Ignis.

“True.” said Gladio.

Ignis and Gladio reached the nursery and they found Aria’s basinette. Gladio smiled down at his daughter. She was sleeping in a similar fashion to how Ignis slept. The former Shield squeezed his husband’s hand lovingly. 

“Gladio...” said Ignis.

“Yeah?” said Gladio.

“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to us.” Ignis said, softly.

“My sentiments exactly.” said Gladio, kissing Ignis on the cheek.


	4. Chapter 4

Aria was two years old. Lynn had been over for most of the day while Gladio and Ignis were working to baby sit her Goddaughter. Lynn had just lay Aria down for a nap when Ignis stumbled in the door. He looked like death. Her blonde eyebrow shot up in concern over her light blue eyes.

“Hey, you OK Ig?” said Lynn.

“Yes, Lynn. I’m---” a coughing fit wracked his body.

“No, you’re not… Go lay down.” Lynn said.

“Lynn, I’m fine. It’s just a cold. Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Ignis Scientia-Amicitia, you lay your happy ass down and quit your bitchin’. You’re sick and you need rest.” said Lynn.

“Lynn...”

Lynn pushed him to the bedroom. “Lie down… You look like shit bro.”

Ignis began coughing hard. Lynn eyed him in concern. He lay down on the bed and he closed his eyes. His breath came out in ragged gasps. He shivered.

“Rest. I’ve got Aria.”

“Thank you… We were supposed to go get ice cream later. I promised her...”

“Ignis, I’ve got that. I’ll tell her you were sick and...”

“No! I’ve got to...”

“Ignis, you look like shit and I’m pretty damn sure you have a fever. You aren’t leaving this bed. I’ll shoot a text to Gladio to let him know what’s up...”

“Lynn… Don’t tell Gladio.”

“What? Why?”

“Just… don’t...”

“As you wish Iggy. Please… get some rest. Your daughter depends on ya’, you know.”

“I’m taking her to get ice cream… tonight.”

“If you feel better.”

“Lynn. I. AM. Taking. Her.”

Lynn sighed. “OK. OK…”

“I appreciate the concern, don’t misunderstand… I just have a cold, Lynn.”

“Yeah, I know. I just… I worry about you, y’ know.”

He smiled. “I appreciate it...”

“Just.. please… rest a little while...”

Ignis sighed. “If I rest, will you feel better?”

“Yes.” Lynn said.

“Very well… You’ll watch Aria, then?”

“I will, hon.”

“OK.”

Lynn shut the door to the bedroom and she began preparing some dinner. Gladio arrived home about two hours later. He kissed Lynn on the cheek. 

“How’s the kiddo today?” Gladio said.

“She’s good. She’s sleeping right now. Ignis is home as well. He… is also napping.”

“Ignis is napping? That’s not like him...”

“He didn’t look well. The nap was my idea...”

“Good call, mama.” said Gladio. “I’m gonna go check on him.”

“Good idea. He’s been out for a few hours.” said Lynn.

“Right.”

Gladio headed back to the bedroom as Aria ran into the kitchen. She clung to Lynn’s leg. Lynn chuckled. 

“Hey, kid.”

“Lynnie!” 

“You hungry?”

Aria nodded her head. Lynn picked her up and she handed her a fresh cooked green bean. Aria ate it greedily. Ignis and Gladio emerged from the bedroom. Aria’s eyes lit up. 

“DADDY!!!” 

Lynn set Aria on the floor and she ran over to Ignis and Gladio. She tackled both of their legs causing both men to laugh. 

“Hey there princess.” said Gladio.

“Hi Cupcake.” said Ignis. “Were you a good girl for Aunt Lynn today?”

“Uh huh!” 

“Good.”

“How you feelin’, Ig?” said Lynn.

“Better. You were right. I needed to rest.” said Ignis. “I suppose I have been overdoing it a bit at work.”

“Glad you feel better. I cooked some pork chops and green beans for your guy’s dinner if you’d like.” said Lynn, grabbing her purse and coat.

“Aunt Lynnie stay?” said Aria.

“Aunt Lynnie’s gotta go. Date night.” said Lynn.

“Frankie again?” said Gladio.

“Nah. Frankie’s an a-- er.. bad dude.” said Lynn. “Got a new one. Someone I met on Tindr...”

“Have fun!” said Ignis. 

“Yeah… a friggin joy. I hate meeting new people...” Lynn said. “Everybody thinks I’m a Barbie doll...”

“Well, you do look like one...” Gladio said. 

“Ha ha ha...”

“Bye bye Aunt Lynnie.” Aria said, waving sadly from the floor.

“Bye sweetheart! I’ll see you guys later.” said Lynn, kneeling down to Aria’s level.

“Thanks Lynn.” said Gladio.

“Have a good date.” said Ignis.

“Thanks Ignis. See you later.”

Lynn left the house. Gladio smiled and he began serving dinner. Aria sat in her chair and Ignis fed her. Aria ate the majority of her food and Ignis beamed with pride. Ignis pulled her out of her high-chair and he cleaned her up. 

“Daddy ice cream?” Aria said.

“I did promise ice cream didn’t I?” said Ignis with a smile.

“Uh huh.”

“Gladio, would you like to join us?”

“Sure. Why not?” said Gladio.

“Yay! Daddy!” 

With that, Gladio and Ignis took their daughter to the nearby ice cream parlor.


	5. Chapter 5

An hour. He’d been gone an hour. Gladio held his head in hands as he sat in the stark white hospital. Lynn sat next to him, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She lay a hand on his shoulder. 

“Gladio… We have to go...”

“What the hell am I going to tell Aria?” said Gladio, his voice hoarse.

“The truth.” Lynn said. “She’s a smart girl, Gladio...”

“At least she got to say goodbye...” said Gladio.

“Yeah… She did.”

“Unlike our best friend” Gladio said, looking up at Lynn angrily.

Lynn clenched her fists. “I told you I was in Caem visiting my step-sister…”

“You should have been here. He wanted you to be here...”

“I’m sorry, Gladio. I’m sorry I didn’t get pulled over for speeding. I tried, OK?”

“You should have floored it!” said Gladio.

“Shh… There’s sick people here. Let’s go scream at each other outside ok?”

“NO! I’m not leaving until he does.” said Gladio, pointing to the sheet covered bed.

“Gladio… He’s gone… There’s nothing left of...” 

“Get out.” said Gladio.

“What?”

“I said GET OUT! Get out of this fucking room! Get out of our fucking lives!”

“Gladio, come on man… you don’t mean--”

“I will force you out. GO!” 

Lynn stared at him, tears streaming down her face. “Fine. I’m a ghost… When you decide you want me in your life again, give me a call.”

“Don’t hold your breath Lynn...”

Lynn left the room. She looked back at the broken shield. Her eyes filled with tears as she walked outside to her car. She leaned her head on the steering wheel. 

“Goodbye, Ignis. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there… I tried. I really tried… Keep him safe, OK. He won’t let me near him. I miss you already.” Lynn said.


	6. Chapter 6

Lynn took a deep breath as she entered the funeral parlor. She was dressed in all black as were a good handful of the people in the room. She strained her eyes to try and spot Gladio or Aria. A hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned to find a pair of sad blue eyes. It was Prompto.

“Hey Lynn.” said Prompto.

“Hi Prom. How you doing?” said Lynn.

“I’m dealing. Better than Gladio is...” said Prompto.

“I know...” said Lynn, looking at her slightly scuffed shoes. 

“How are you handling this? You and Iggy were close.” said Prompto.

“Not as close as you lot were, but yeah, we were close. I’m.. OK. It’s just gonna be really weird not having my partner in Ebony consumption at the coffee shop anymore.”

Prompto chuckled. “He did love his Ebony.”

“Yeah… “ Lynn said.

“Gladio said… you two had a fight after Ignis passed...” said Prompto.

“Yeah… I um… I didn’t make it in time to say goodbye...” said Lynn, her voice shaking. “Gladio… was alone with Ignis when he went…”

“That’s how it should have been though, right?” said Prompto.

“Not according to Gladio… He wanted me there. They both did. I guess Ignis wanted to make sure that Gladio had a shoulder to cry on as it happened. I got there five minutes after he had passed.” Lynn said.

“Whoa. Heavy stuff.” said Prompto.

“Yeah… Real heavy. I was debating not even coming.” Lynn said.

“But it’s Iggy! You had to come.” said Prompto.

“Exactly.” said Lynn. “Because it’s Iggy.”

“Well, I’d better head out. Cindy’s waiting in Hammerhead.”

Lynn smiled. “Have fun, Prom.”

“Yeah. You keep in touch, missy.” said Prompto.

“I’ll try.”

Prompto gave Lynn a hug and he headed out the door. Lynn took a deep breath and she joined the line of people that were queued up to pay their respects. In the front of the line, she spotted Gladio, Iris, and little Aria. After what seemed like ages, Lynn reached the front of the line. Iris smiled brightly at her and the two women hugged.

“He’s a mess.” Iris whispered. “He told me what happened.”

Lynn nodded. “Yeah. I apologized profusely...”

“It’s not your fault, Lynnie.”

“Sure it is… It’s always my fault.”

Iris sighed and she placed a comforting hand on Lynn’s shoulder. “You’re hurting too. Gladio will realize what a dumbass he’s being and everything will be back to normal soon...”

“I hope you’re right...” said Lynn.

“Go on. At least let him know you’re here.”

“Yeah.” said Lynn.

Aria’s eyes lit up as she saw Lynn approach. She wiggled down from Gladio’s arms and ran over to Lynn, embracing her leg. Lynn knelt down and she gave Aria a hug. Aria clung to Lynn.

“Hi Aunt Lynnie.” said Aria.

“Hey kiddo. How are you?” said Lynn.

“When’s Daddy gonna wake up?” said Aria. “He promised to take me to the zoo.”

Lynn’s heart dropped. Gladio didn’t tell her? Lynn sighed and she kissed the top of the girl’s head. Aria smiled. 

“Go hang out with Aunt Iris for a minute. I need to talk to your daddy.”

“OK.” said Aria, giving Lynn another squeeze before walking over to Iris.

Lynn slowly made her way up to Gladio. “Hi.”

“Hello. Glad to see you made it on time this time.” said Gladio.

Lynn closed her eyes, fighting back tears. “Can we not do this now?” 

“Fine. Pay your respects to my husband and then we’re done, got it?”

“Gladio, I...”

“Stop. I don’t want your pity or your sympathy. Aria and I will be fine.”

“When are you going to tell her that her father is--”

“That’s my business, Lynn.”

“Will you let me friggin’ talk?!” Lynn said.

“Go ahead.” said Gladio.

“I know you’ve got to be a complete mess. I am too and he and I weren’t as close! But Gladio, it’s OK to lean on someone. It’s OK to be a mess. I’m sorry I didn’t make it in time to say goodbye that night. I’m sorry I let you and him down. I’m just plain sorry. But you can’t keep this from Aria. She has to know that Ignis is gone. I just… I wish things were different…”

“Well, they’re not. And sorry isn’t going to bring him back.” Gladio said, struggling to keep his voice even. “Now “say goodbye” or whatever to Ignis and get the hell out of my life. And stay away from Aria.”

Lynn narrowed her eyes and she nodded. She slowly approached the casket where Ignis lay. She knelt on the little kneeler in front of the casket and she said a silent prayer for him. Letting a few tears fall, she lay a hand on his cold ones before walking out of the funeral parlor without a word.


	7. Chapter 7

In the weeks following Ignis’ death, Gladio’s mental health had suffered. Weeks passed before he could even stomach looking at Aria. She looked so much like Ignis, but with his hair color and firey personality. He saw Ignis each time he looked at her and it brought him so much pain. Iris had come in the first couple of months to make sure he was OK and to help take care of Aria. He had eventually pushed her away as well out of bitterness. 

Lynn had tried calling multiple times over the past few years. Gladio ignored every call, every text and everything having to do with her. Gladio couldn’t take seeing her either. Memories of the times he, Ignis and Lynn shared were too painful. Any memory where Ignis was alive and well cut him like a razor. The calls eventually stopped and all thoughts of Lynn Coffin had fled Gladio’s mind. 

16 years later….

“Dad, seriously! I’m 18 years old...” Aria said into her mirror. “I should be able to leave the stupid house…” 

Aria sighed, her seafoam green eyes sparkled with determination as she brushed out her dark brown hair. She heard the front door of the house open and close. Letting out a deep sigh, she opened the bedroom door. Gladio stood in the kitchen, shrugging off his coat. He brushed the excess snow from his greying hair.

“Hi Dad.” said Aria.

“Hello Ari. Did you manage to get the schoolwork done that I left for ya’?”

“Yeah. It’s done…” Aria said shortly.

“Good. I’ll check it after dinner...” said Gladio.

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m 18 years old and I think that...”

“Don’t start this again, Aria...” Gladio said, eyeing his daughter sternly

“But dad..!”

“Aria! You can’t leave this house. You’re too ill. Did you take your meds today?”

“Yes dad. But I’m 18! I’m an adult now!”

“No. You’re not leaving this house.”

“Dad!”

“ARIA! Drop this NOW!”

“No! It’s not fair!”

“Life’s not fair kid. You’ll learn to live with it.” Gladio said, grabbing a beer from the fridge. 

“Fine...”

“Good. Now let’s eat our dinner and call it a day.”

“Right.”

Gladio unplugged the crockpot from the wall and he dished out two bowls of chicken soup. He placed one in front of Aria, who was pouting at the table. He sighed and he carried the other bowl across from her. He popped open his beer and he sat down. The two ate in silence and Aria finished her soup quickly. She threw the bowl into the sink and she walked into her room, slamming the door behind her. 

Gladio let out a long sigh. Every day was the same. Ever since Aria turned 17, she’d wanted to go outside. Gladio knew that that was a dream of hers. Aria wasn’t sick at all, Gladio just wanted her to stay with him. He didn’t want to lose another person that he loved. 

Throwing his own bowl in the sink, Gladio headed into the personal gym in the house. He slipped his headphones on and he began training. He lost himself in training. He shut everything off and he just focused on his training.

Aria knew the sounds she was hearing. She sighed and she threw her blanket over the makeshift dummy in the bed. She switched on the machine she had worked on to make it look like it was breathing and she slipped on her shoes. She threw a coat over her shoulders and she slipped out the front door.

Aria shivered as her shoes crunched through the snow. She took in a deep breath and she released it with a smile on her face. She snuck through the snow and she reached a small house. She double checked the address written on her hand and she knocked on the door. A woman with blonde almost white hair answered the door. Her blue eyes stared at Aria in confusion.

“Can I help you?” the woman said.

“Hi. My name’s Aria Amicitia-Scientia and I am looking for Lynn Coffin...”

“That’s me-- Aria? What the… Does your father know you’re here?!”

“No. He won’t let me out of the house. I just remember stories about you from my Aunt Iris… I thought maybe you could help me...”

“Aria, I don’t think I’m the right person to ask for help… Your father hates me.” Lynn said. 

“But you know things about my other dad, right? I wanna know. Dad won’t tell me.”

Lynn sighed. “Alright, alright. Come in. You’ll catch cold...” 

“Thank you, Ms. Coffin.”

“Please, kid. Call me Lynn.” said Lynn.

Aria shrugged out of her coat and Lynn set it on the back of a chair. Aria sat down at the table. Lynn sat across from her holding out a cup of hot liquid to the young girl. Aria took it and she realized it was hot cocoa. Lynn let out a long sigh.

“Both your fathers and I used to be close.” Lynn said.

“I know. Aunt Iris said you guys were inseparable.”

“We were… I was their surrogate. I carried you in my womb for nine months.” Lynn said.

“So… you’re like my… my mom?” Aria said.

“Sort of. I’m your God mother officially, but the egg your dads used was an artificial egg. So no part of me is in you technically.”

“Ah.” said Aria.

“You look like Ignis… A LOT like Ignis… but you’ve got Gladio’s hair...”

“So Dad tells me...”

“Would you like to see some videos of your dads when you were younger?” said Lynn.

“You have some?!” said Aria, nearly jumping out of her chair.

“I do. I was a sneaky little shit back in the day...” Lynn said.

Aria laughed. “Let’s go then!”

Lynn chuckled and she led Aria to the living room. She tossed her a blanket as she sat on the couch. Lynn bent down and she pulled out a few sets of DVDs. Aria’s eyes widened. Lynn chuckled.

“We don’t have to watch them all--”

“I want to!” Aria said. “Anything to get out of my house for a while...”

Lynn frowned. “Gladio doesn’t let you out at all?”

“Nope. He’s afraid I’ll get hurt or I won’t ever come back and that he’ll lose me forever.”

Lynn closed her eyes as she released a breath. “Aria, I will reiterate, I don’t think that your father would approve of this even if he did let you out. I’m not his favorite person anymore...”

“You seem nice enough...” said Aria.

Lynn sighed. “After Ignis died.. Your father changed. He was heartbroken and.. It was… my fault… or he blamed me… I never talked to your father again after Ignis’ funeral. Even then he was very short with me. He wanted me out of your lives… forever.”

“Well I don’t! I want to get to know my Godmother.” said Aria with a smile.

“Aria, you don’t under--” 

There was a loud knock at the door. Lynn held up a finger and she rose to answer the door. A loud familiar voice rang through the air. Aria jumped up from the couch and she hid in the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

“Is she here?” Gladio said.

“Gladio! Hi… “

“Is. Aria. Here.” said Gladio, angrily.

“No. I have no idea where she is. I don’t even know what she looks like.” said Lynn.

“If you’re lying to me Lynn...” said Gladio.

“I’m just happy you’re talking to me.” said Lynn.

“I’m just here for my daughter. You mean nothing to me.” said Gladio.

Lynn let out a long sigh. “Fine. Well, she’s not here.”

Gladio pushed his way into the house. Lynn hurried behind him and she snatched the coat from the chair before he noticed it was there. Gladio stomped his way around the house and he grunted at Lynn before he left. Lynn closed the door. Aria snuck out of the bathroom.

“The dummy didn’t work… shit.” Aria muttered.

“You used a dummy?” Lynn said, handing Aria her coat. 

“Yeah. I made a machine that makes it look like it’s breathing as well.”

“You forgot to record your voice.” said Lynn.

“What?”

“You need to rig it up so that when Gladio knocks on the door you can have your voice tell him to get lost or something.” said Lynn. “I tried that with him a few times when I was pregnant with you. Worked every time.”

“Good idea.” said Aria. “He’s on to me. I’d better head back.”

“It’s gettin’ cold out there. Why don’t I drive ya’ back? That way you’ll be home before he is.”

“Great idea.” said Aria. “Thanks Lynn.”

“Yep. Let’s get going.”


	8. Chapter 8

The drive through the snow was quiet. Lynn had some soft jazz music playing in her truck as they drove. Aria looked over at her Godmother. 

“What’s up kid?” Lynn said.

“My dad… wasn’t always an asshole?” said Aria.

Lynn laughed. “Nah, he was always a bit of an ass, but he had good intentions… I kind of see his point in keeping you locked away...”

“Don’t tell me you’re taking his side...” said Aria, a look of terror on her face.

“Hell no! You kiddin’? I think locking you away is a stupid and completely wrong thing for him to do. But I know why he did it.” said Lynn.

“Why?”

“He’s afraid. He doesn’t want to be alone and he doesn’t want anything to happen to you.” said Lynn, “So I sort of see his point… Never said it was a good point, but still.”

“Why… why is he afraid of losing me? Or of being alone?” Aria said.

Lynn sighed. “Ignis was the best thing that ever happened to Gladio. He calmed him when he was frustrated and he was the only one who could ever do that. After Ignis died… I think Gladio sort of lost the will to live for a while… Hell who wouldn’t. But he had you. You were the one tiny piece of Ignis he still had left. So he clung to you. And still does cling to you because he misses Ignis terribly.”

“I wish I remembered him...” Aria said, looking down.

“I wish you did too, but you were two years old when he died. It’s OK. Hopefully, when we look at those videos, you will see how much your fathers loved each other and how much Ignis really did impact Gladio’s life.”

“I can’t wait to watch them.” said Aria.

“We’ll come up with some way for you to watch them. Even if I have to disguise myself and bring them to you.” Lynn said.

“You’d do that?” said Aria.

“Hell yeah. You and I used to be close too, you know.” said Lynn, with a smile.

Aria chuckled. “OK, yeah.”

Lynn smiled. “We’ll find a way Aria. Trust me.”

Lynn slowed the truck in front of Gladio’s house. Aria opened the door and she hesitated a bit. She looked back at Lynn and she gave her a hug. Lynn’s heart stopped for a moment before she hugged her back. Aria shot Lynn a sweet smile before jumping down from the car. Lynn made sure that Aria was inside the house before speeding back toward her house.


	9. Chapter 9

“WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?” Gladio boomed as he entered the house.

“Right here dad, working on a picture.” said Aria, calmly.

“Bull shit! You weren’t here twenty minutes ago!”

“Yeah, I was. I’ve been working on this for a while.” said Aria.

Gladio glared daggers at his daughter. “If you’re lying to me Aria Lynn...” 

“Dad, chill. I’ve been here working on this picture all night. Maybe when you checked on me I was in the bathroom or something.”

“I called your name at least seventeen times.” said Gladio.

Aria reached next to her. She pulled out the pair of headphones Gladio had given her for her birthday. Gladio sighed and shook his head. 

“Noise cancelling headphones. I forgot about those.” said Gladio.

“Right. I wouldn’t have been able to hear you with these on anyway.” said Aria.

“I apologize.” said Gladio.

“It’s cool, dad. Can we talk about me going outside now?” said Aria.

“Not happening kid.”

“Oh come on dad...” 

“Aria...”

“Fine….” 

“Get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast.”

“Ok. Night Daddy.”

Gladio smiled slightly as he shut the door to his daughter’s room. He walked towards the back bedroom where he slept alone. He shut the door and he slid down it. It had been 16 years and it still hurt like hell when he saw his daughter. Everything about her screamed Ignis. He knew that one day he would have to let her go. He just wasn’t ready for that yet.

Seeing Lynn again stirred some feelings in Gladio. He had long ago forgiven her, realizing that he had been in the wrong. His pride wouldn't let him admit that he missed her company. She hadn’t changed much. Her hair had gone a bit more white and she looked older but that was really it.

Suddenly, Gladio felt a chill in the air. He got to his feet and he walked over to the window, making sure it was securely latched and shut. He felt the chill once more and he sat on the bed.

“Gladio...” a familiar voice rang in his ears.

“I-iggy?” Gladio said, looking around.

“It’s about time...” Ignis’ voice teased.

“You’re not here… I’m losing it...” Gladio mumbled.

“That implies that you had it to begin with...” Ignis jested.

“Very funny, Ignis...” Gladio said.

“Gladio, you have to let Aria go. Move on, darling. Complete the healing process.”

“Iggy.. She’s all I have left of you… I can’t lose her...”

“You won’t lose her, my love… Just like you’ve never really lost me.”

“Iggy...”

“I understand, Gladio. You’ve been blinded by grief to my presence. I’ve been waiting for you to stop and listen to me. Aria is all grown up now. It’s time to let her be her own person and make her own decisions.”

“I’m sorry, Ignis. I’m sorry we never got to raise her together.”

“Gladio, you’ve done very well. She’s learned so much from you. It’s her turn now...”

Gladio nodded. “I..I miss you Iggy.”

“And I you, my love. You need to move on, however. Learn to love someone else as much as I love you.”

“Iggy, I can’t… You… you’re everything...”

“Yes, you can, Gladio. If you won’t find another lover, perhaps a friend… Reconcile with Lynn...”

Gladio scoffed. “You think she’d forgive me after all these years?”

“I believe she would, Gladio. She misses you more than you think she does. I have to go now darling. I love you.”

“No! Iggy, come back! I love you...”

The room was silent once more. The chill was replaced with a tender sort of warmth that Gladio had not felt in years. Silent tears streaked down Gladio’s cheeks. He took a deep breath and he wiped them away. He settled into bed, turning off the light by the bedside.

“Night, Iggy. Thanks for the kick in the ass. I needed that. ‘Love you.”

Gladio closed his eyes and he fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Aria awoke to the smell of bacon. She slowly rose from the bed and she slowly opened the door. Gladio was at the stove flipping bacon and pancakes simultaniously.

“Um.. dad…?”

“Good Morning Aria!” said Gladio cheerfully.

“What happened?” said Aria. “Are you OK?”

Gladio chuckled. “Yes, Aria. I’m fine. I have a bit of a surprise for you. You’re going to meet your Godmother today.”

“My...Godmother?”

“Yeah. Lynn will be joining us today. She said she has a few videos about your other father that we can all watch together.”

Aria raised a brow. “Dad, I thought you hated Lynn...”

“No. I… had a change of heart. I was blaming her for something that wasn’t her fault… Also, I was punnishing you because you looked like your father. I apologize. That’s why I’m cooking.”

“Uh, dad? I think the bacon’s burning...”

“Shit….” Gladio said, diving over toward the stove. “Anyway, I’ve decided that you were right. You are an adult. You should be treated as such. So, feel free to go outside or do whatever...” 

Aria looked confused as she sat at the table. “Um… Ok...” 

Gladio shot her a smile and he placed a plate of food in front of her. “A bit overwhelming, huh?”

“Uh… yeah.” said Aria.

“We’ll talk about it later. For now, eat. Lynn should be here soon and we’ll watch the home movies she claims she has.”

“Sounds good. Great pancakes Dad.” said Aria..

“It’s um… It’s your other father’s recipe.” said Gladio.

“He cooked?” said Aria.

“He was a fabulous chef. Despite his blindness, he always had a feel for cooking.”

Aria smiled. “You’re finally comfortable talking about him?”

“I’ll never be comfortable talking about Ignis… but I figured it was time...”

“Glad you’re finally opening up about it.” said Aria.

Gladio sat down across from Aria and he dug into his breakfast. Aria smiled a little. So this was the version of her dad that Lynn had mentioned. Aria ate silently with her father until there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll grab that. Can you set the plates in the sink for me?” said Gladio.

“Yep. No big deal, dad.”

Gladio smiled at Aria before walking over to the door. He opened the door with a slight smile. Lynn stood there, her jacket covered in snow. Gladio chuckled a bit before moving aside and letting her enter. 

“Hi.” said Lynn.

“Hey…” said Gladio. “So.. um...”

Lynn gave Gladio a big hug. “I know this probably won’t last, but I just wanna get this out… I miss you like crazy Amicitia...”

Gladio hugged her back. “I miss you too, Lynnie.”

“God, I haven’t been called that in ages...” said Lynn.

“Get used to it...”

“Why the change of heart?” said Lynn.

“Let’s just say I had a bit of a vision that kicked me in the ass.” said Gladio.

“Ignis?”

“Yeah…”

Lynn smiled sadly. “I still can’t believe he’s gone.”

“Me either...” said Gladio. “Anyway, let’s get you out of that coat and in more comfortable surroundings here. Excuse the state of the place if you would...”

“I’m not worried about it...” said Lynn, taking off her hat and gloves.

Gladio took Lynn’s jacket and he hung it on a hook on the wall next to his coat. “We were just finishing breakfast. There’s extra if you’d like some.” 

“No thanks. I’ve eaten your cooking before...” said Lynn with a smile.

“I.. I followed Ignis’ recipe… At least try it.” said Gladio.

Lynn’s smile brightened. “I will.”

Gladio nudged Lynn’s shoulder. “But first, let me reintroduce you to your Goddaughter.” 

Aria came over to them. Gladio wrapped his arm around Aria’s shoulders. Lynn smiled at Aria.

“Aria, this is your Godmother, Lynn.”

“Hi.” said Aria, with a wide smile.

“Nice to meet you once again.” said Lynn.

“Yeah...” said Aria.

“Are you ready to learn more about your late father, Aria?” said Gladio.

“Yeah. I’m actually kind of excited to learn more about him.” said Aria.

“I’m curious to see what you managed to capture.” said Gladio. “Especially since Ignis was very self-concious of his image.” 

“I was sneaky.” Lynn said with a smile. “I captured the majority of the pregnancy with Aria.”

“Son of a bitch girl!” said Gladio, grinning widely.

Lynn smiled. “So! Shall we?” 

“Yeah. Let’s watch some videos.” said Aria.


	11. Chapter 11

The three entered the living room. Lynn handed the DVDs over to Gladio. His eyes widened at the amount of DVDs in his hands.

 

“Christ girl! How many of these are there?” said Gladio.

 

“20.” said Lynn.

 

“We’ll be here for days...” said Gladio.

 

“That just means we have to break it up...” said Lynn.

 

“Or you could move back in...” Gladio mumbled.

 

“Gladio, we just became friends again… Give it some time, hon.”

 

Gladio sighed but he then nodded. He popped the first DVD in and he hopped on the couch next to Lynn. Lynn passed a box of tissues over to Gladio. He gave her a hard stare.

 

“You know you’ll need ‘em Amicitia.”

 

Gladio released a breath as he hit play. “Yeah, probably.”

 

“ _Hey future Lynn, Ignis, Gladio and baby Amicitia-Scientia! This is not only for blackmail but it’s also a way for baby Amicitia-Scientia to know how their parents were before they were born. Love you all!”_ The Lynn on the TV said.

 

“That’s you, Lynn?” said Aria.

 

“Yep! I was hot back then..”

 

“Yeah, for a Barbie doll...” said Gladio..

 

Lynn smacked Gladio’s arm as he laughed. “Jerk.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

 

_The camera pans around the room. It’s a mess. Boxes are thrown willy nilly across the white carpeting. There is a small area with nothing in the way so that Ignis can move freely around. Gladio is seated amidst the mess holding a screwdriver, attempting to put together a cherry wood crib. Ignis walked up alongside the camera person._

 

“ _What are you doing, Lynn?”_ Ignis’ voice rang out from the TV

 

Gladio immediately felt a prickling behind his eyes. “He’s...”

 

“Yeah.” said Lynn.

 

“ _Never you mind, Scientia. Go help Gladdy!”_

 

“ _Lynnette….”_

 

“ _He needs help… And don’t call me that!”_

 

“ _I can handle building a crib, Lynn!”_ the Gladio on the TV said.

 

“I hated when he called me Lynnette...” Lynn said.

 

“That’s why he did it...” said Gladio.

 

“I know.” said Lynn.

 

“Is that your full first name?” Aria said.

 

“Yeah. I friggin’ hate it though.” said Lynn.

 

“I think it’s pretty.” said Aria, giving her a grin.

 

“Thanks Aria.”

 

“ _These are the boys building the crib. And this is Gladio refusing to look at the God Damn directions...”_

 

“ _Hey! Directions are for losers!”_

 

“ _Gladio...”_

 

“ _Yeah, hon?”_

 

“ _The directions say..”_

 

“ _Did you seriously get directions in braile for him?”_

 

“ _You bet your ass I did. The baby needs a place to be safe in, Gladio.”_

 

“ _You don’t trust me?”_

 

“ _It’s not you I don’t trust. It’s the fact that you’re a typical man and don’t read the damn directions.”_

 

“ _Are you gonna be like this for all nine months?”_

 

“ _Who knows? Maybe even worse._

 

_Ignis chuckled. “It feels good to have more than just me on my side...”_

 

“I miss that sound..” Gladio said, pausing the video on Ignis’ face.

 

“What sound Dad?” said Aria.

 

“Ignis’ chuckle. He rarely laughed, but he chuckled a lot… Never thought I’d miss it as much as I do though.”

 

“I miss it too, Gladio.” said Lynn. “He always made you feel at ease when he’d chuckle. Made him feel a little more human...”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Aria looked closer at Ignis. “How’d he die?”

 

Gladio and Lynn looked at each other.

 

“He got sick.” said Gladio.

 

“Really sick. Really quickly.” said Lynn.

 

“It was a bad strain of the flu… It just… attacked his immune system and he never recovered.” said Gladio.

 

Lynn looked at the ground. “You don’t know how much I wished it was me and not him.”

 

Gladio looked at Lynn. “What? Why?”   


“Because you two would have raised Aria to be even more amazing than she already is. I’m just… there.”

 

“Lynnie...”

 

Lynn shook her head. “Anyway… um...”

 

“Lynn, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I ripped you a new asshole in the hospital room. You didn’t deserve that.”

 

“Yeah. We’ll talk about that more later, OK...” said Lynn, reaching for the remote.

 

“Could we maybe talk about it over dinner tomorrow night?” said Gladio.

 

“Yeah, sure...” said Lynn with a smile.

 

Aria grinned and she hit play on the DVD player.

 

_Ignis took his cane and he batted the screwdriver from Gladio’s hand gently. “I think we’d be better off letting Lynn build the crib, Gladiolus.”_

 

“ _But..”_

 

“ _No way. Let Gladdy do it!”_

 

_Gladio chuckled. “Yeah. You and Lynn go have an Ebony. I’ll call ya’ if I need ya’.”_

 

“ _Yeah, come on Iggy.” said Lynn._

 

_Ignis came up alongside Lynn and the two of them walked out of the room into the kitchen. Ignis led Lynn to the table and the camera panned to Ignis making two cups of Ebony._

 

“ _You excited for the baby, Ignis?”_

 

“ _More nervous, actually, if I’m honest.”_

 

“ _You and your nerves, Iggy.”_

 

“ _They are a part of me, I suppose.” Ignis said, sitting down at the table with two mugs._

 

_The camera zoomed in on Ignis more. The scaring on his face was clearer though it was still obscured by the visor he wore. Lynn chuckled, making Ignis’ head pop up._

 

“ _What? Is there something on my face?” said Ignis, through a slight grin._

 

“ _No. I’m just giving the public what they want...” said Lynn._

 

“ _Come on, Lynn. Turn the camera off.” said Ignis._

 

“ _Iggy...”_

 

“ _Please?”_

 

“ _Alright fine...”_

 

_The camera shakes a bit and cuts to black._

 

Gladio sniffled a bit. Lynn looked over at him. He shot her a smile through a few stray tears.

 

“He… seemed happy there.” said Gladio.

 

“He was. He was always happy around you, Gladdy.”

 

“And you as well.” said Gladio.

 

“There… were some bad times too.” said Lynn.

 

“What? You two never fought.” said Gladio.

 

“Oh, yes we did. Wait until you get to disc 2… Holy. Shit.”

 

“What’d you do?” said Gladio.

 

“He caught me outside smoking a cigarette.”

 

“Oh that’s right… I forgot about that...” said Gladio.

 

“I thought he was going to throw me out forever the way he was yelling. You’d think I’d killed someone...”

 

Gladio chuckled. “He did tend to overreact.”

 

Aria chuckled. “Daddy Ignis seems like he’d be the stern one.”

 

“Oh, he was… but he had a soft spot for you, Aria.” said Gladio.

 

“Oh yeah. You’d bat your eyes at him or start to cry and he was right the hell there. You had him wrapped around your finger.” said Lynn.

 

“You were his favorite person, Ari.” said Gladio.

 

“I wish I remembered more.” Aria said.

 

“It’s OK, Aria. We’ll show you what Ignis was like...”

 

“Can we watch some more?” said Aria.

 

“Yeah.” said Gladio. “Though I should clean up the kitchen...”

 

“I got it. You two watch.” Lynn said.

 

“Thanks Lynnie.” said Gladio.

 

Lynn got up and she began cleaning the kitchen as another video began playing.

 

“ _Lynn, you’re recording again?” said Gladio._

 

“ _I gotta get the finished product on camera!” said Lynn._

 

_Gladio laughed. “Ta da!”_

 

_The camera pans over to a finished crib. Ignis is standing next to it. Gladio stands next to Ignis. The camera zooms in on the two of them. Gladio’s expression changes slightly._

 

“ _Lynn, quit grinning like that.”_

 

“ _What? I can’t zoom in on my two favorite people?!”_

 

“ _No.” said Ignis, grinning._

 

_Gladio approached the camera. “Gimmie.”_

 

“ _No! My camera!” Lynn said._

 

_The camera twitched and it panned over to a sad looking Lynn. She walked over to Ignis, a pout on her face. Ignis chuckled._

 

“ _I know you’re pouting without even being able to see you...”_

 

“ _Iggy! He took my camera!”_

 

“ _You know better than to zoom in on us now.” said Ignis._

 

“ _HEY!” Lynn said._

 

_Gladio got close to Lynn and moved the camera up and down her body. “Sexiest Barbie Doll ever.”_

 

“ _Gladio! Don’t call me a Barbie doll!”_

 

_Gladio laughed. “I can’t help it if you look the part...”_

 

“ _I’m SO dying my hair...”_

 

“ _Not while you’re pregnant, you aren’t.” said Ignis._

 

“ _Oh come on Iggy… You see the abuse I get from him?”_

 

“ _Do you not dish out your own?” said Ignis._

 

“ _Yeah, but...”_

 

“ _Then shut up and deal with it.” said Ignis, with a grin._

 

“ _Ugh. Fine…” said Lynn._

 

_Gladio chuckled. “You know I love you Barbie...”_

 

“ _Hmph. Meanie.” said Lynn._

 

“ _Lynn, when is your next appointment, dear?”_

 

“ _Um… Next week.” said Lynn. “Why, what’s up?”_

 

“ _I was just going to request a half day if you needed someone to go with you.” said Ignis._

 

“ _You can if you’d like, Iggy. It’s just a check up and an ultrasound.” said Lynn_

 

“ _I’ll be there then.” said Ignis. “Just let me know about the time.”_

 

“ _You got it.” said Lynn._

 

“ _I wanna be there too.” said Gladio. “But I can’t take off work as easily as Iggy can.”_

 

“ _Maybe I don’t want you there, ya’ little shit.” said Lynn._

 

_Gladio chuckled. “Iggy, hold the camera.”_

 

_The camera shook as it was passed to Ignis. Gladio began tickling Lynn and she squealed. He picked her up with ease and spun her around the room, setting her gently next to the crib. Lynn glared at the taller man._

 

“ _Grr.” said Lynn._

 

_Gladio laughed. “You love me.”_

 

“ _Yeah, I do… shut up.”_

 

_Ignis chuckled, managing to keep the camera on the other two. Gladio jogged over to the camera. He gently took it from Ignis’ hands and he walked toward him. Lynn came up alongside Ignis once more and she squeezed his shoulders. His smile brightened considerably and he lay a gloved hand on her left hand._

 

“ _That’s a perfect picture...” said Gladio._

 

“ _What is?” said Ignis._

 

“ _The two of you.” said Gladio._

 

“ _What do you mean?” said Lynn._

 

“ _Eh, never mind. You’ll see it when you watch this back.”_

 

“It _was_ perfect.” said Lynn, watching from the kitchen.

 

“Yeah… Back in the day...” said Gladio, pausing the DVD.

 

Lynn wiped her hands on a clean towel and then she rejoined Gladio on the couch. He nudged her shoulder playfully as she sat down.

 

“Barbie doll...” said Gladio.

 

“Stop it!” Lynn said, grinning. “Though, you did call me the sexiest Barbie doll ever...”

 

“Lapse of sanity.” said Gladio.

 

“Ha ha.” said Lynn.

 

Aria watched Lynn and Gladio interact quietly with a small smile on her face. It was good to see her dad laugh and joke with someone. Especially if it was with someone he used to have a bit of animosity with.

 

“Hey Aria, what are you grinnin’ at over there?” said Gladio.

 

“Just you two… bein’ all cute...” said Aria.

 

“What are you talking about dear?” said Gladio. “I’m not being cute with her. This is just how we do.”

 

“Yeah, he’s always been a bit flirty...” said Lynn with a chuckle.

 

“Remember the time Ignis about died when I was talking to that one guy at the baby shower?”

 

“You mean Chris? OH YEAH! That was so funny! He just sulked all night…” said Lynn.

 

“I felt so bad. He didn’t talk to me for a week.” said Gladio.

 

“I have that on one of these things… It’s hillarious watching him try to avoid you.” said Lynn.

 

“Yeah, but I still felt like shit about the whole thing!”

 

“Quality entertainment, though.” said Lynn.

 

“Ha ha ha.” said Gladio. “One of these days, I’m gonna get you back.”

 

“Promises promises...”

 

“Let’s watch some more now, though.” said Gladio.

 

“Yeah.” said Lynn.

 

_The camera shakes as Lynn comes into view. She’s in a different location than all the other clips have been. She’s alone, trying to place a the camera on something. She succeeds and she backs up showing her full height to the camera._

 

“ _SO! I’m about a month along, and not much has really changed physically, but… I know that it will.” Lynn said. “I’m so excited to see Gladdy and Iggy as parents. I know they’ll do an amazing job and that kid will be so spoiled! Heading off to see the doc now. Iggy’s meeting me there, but I wanted to record a little something beforehand. See you a little later, hopefully! That is if Gladiolus Amicitia doesn’t steal my camera again… Bye!”_

 

_The camera shuts off._

 

“Did you do this every month?” said Gladio.

 

“I tried to yeah...” said Lynn.

 

“Nice.” said Gladio.

 

“So did you guys find out the sex of me before I was born?”

 

“No. We wanted to keep it a surprise.” said Gladio.

 

“Much to my dismay...” said Lynn. “But as I had said, it wasn’t my call.”

 

“You could have said that, Lynnie. We would have talked it over...” said Gladio.

 

“I was so sick of talking shit over by that point…” said Lynn.

 

“That’s true… There were a lot of decisions before that.” said Gladio.

 

“And Ignis wouldn’t leave me alone until I answered him.” said Lynn.

 

“That’s Iggy.” said Gladio.

 

“ _Hey. Gladio here. Just… uh… I wanted to say something to whomever is watching this. Lynn is friggin’ amazing, alright. I wouldn’t want anyone but her to carry my kid. It may not seem like I give a rats ass about her, but… she is my best friend aside from Iggy, and Prompto. So yeah, uh… ta da!”_

 

_The camera shuts off._

 

“Heh. Forgot I recorded this.” said Gladio.

 

“I didn’t.” said Lynn. “After our fight, I decided to put all this stuff on DVD. I watched it back and I almost cried. Actually, there was no almost… I did cry… a lot.”

 

“Lynnie, I..”

 

“It’s fine. It’s in the past now.” said Lynn. “Let’s keep going, yeah?”

 

Gladio wrapped his arm around Lynn’s shoulders and pulled her in close for a hug. Lynn hugged him back a bit awkwardly, but she smiled as they pulled apart.

 

“ _So! What’s on the baby room agenda today?” said Lynn._

 

“ _Cleaning up the boxes for one.” said Ignis._

 

“ _Yeah, sorry ‘bout that.” said Gladio. “I’ll take care of that.”_

 

“ _So, now what?” said Lynn._

 

“ _Well, we could always browse the web for good books to try and read to the baby.” said Gladio._

 

“ _Blind...” said Ignis._

 

“ _They make books in Braille Iggy.” said Gladio._

 

“ _I’m still learning.” said Ignis with a shrug._

 

“ _Well, you could always make up some stories...” said Lynn. “You’ve got a great imagination… or so Gladio tells me...”_

 

_Ignis blushed a deep red. “What have you been telling her Gladio?”_

 

“ _Nothing!” said Gladio, grinning._

 

_Lynn laughed. “Iggy, I’ve known you for almost 2 years… I know you’ve got a good imagination.”_

 

_Ignis laughed. “Yes, I suppose so.”_

 

“ _So make one up, Ig. Show me what you’ve got.” said Lynn._

 

“ _Turn the camera off and I will.” said Ignis with a grin._

 

“ _Oh come on, really?” said Lynn._

 

“ _No story while the camera is on, Lynn.” said Ignis._

 

“ _Ugh. Fine. I’ll turn the camera off.” said Lynn._

 

_The camera shook once more and it went dark._

 

“So, did he tell the story?” said Aria.

 

“Yeah. He did. I catch him on one of the later discs. I catch him doing a lot of stuff that you normally wouldn’t see him doing...” said Lynn.

 

“Like?” said Gladio.

 

“Like singing to my stomach when you weren’t around Gladdy.” said Lynn.

 

“What?! You’re kidding!” said Gladio.

 

“Nope.” said Lynn. “When I hid the camera, I got footage of him singing multiple times.”

 

“Man.. That’s gonna be kinda rough to watch...” said Gladio.

 

“I’ll be here… If you want me to be...”

 

“Of course I do!” said Gladio, slapping his hand on Lynn’s thigh. “You’re stuck with me now, Coffin.”

 

“Ha.” said Lynn.

 

_The camera clicks on. Lynn and Ignis are standing there alone. Ignis looks extremely nervous. Lynn grins and she pushes Ignis onto a chair in front of the camera._

 

“ _Lynn… I can’t do this.”_

 

“ _Yes you can, Scientia. Just talk to the camera like you would talk to me or Gladio. I’ll leave the room so you can talk about anything you want.”_

 

“ _Lynn!” Ignis said in a harsh whisper._

 

“ _Relax, babe. Seriously. You’ve got this.” said Lynn, blowing Ignis an air kiss._

 

_The sound of a door clicking shut is heard and Ignis sighed._

 

“ _Alright… I’m not comfortable doing this at all.. But Lynn says I need some way to talk to the baby. So! Hi baby… Um. Er.. Why is this so hard for me? OK. Hi. I’m your daddy Ignis. I’m 33 years old currently… And this has turned into a dating service video… Ugh…! OK. Try this again… Hi, Baby Amicitia-Scientia. I’m your daddy Ignis. I’m very excited to be meeting you soon… As for my opinions of the other two people in this scenario… Gladio is the love of my life and he will make a wonderful father who will keep you safe from any foe. But if you go behind that rough exterior, he really is the most sweetest caring man you could ever hope for. Your… Godmother, Lynn… she’s… she’s probably the only person in the world who I feel comfortable telling my deepest darkest secrets to. She will be the best listener in your life. I promise you that. Keep your head high, little one. You’ve got this.”_

 

Gladio took a sharp intake of breath. Tears fell silently from his eyes. Lynn gave him a few tissues and he accepted them thankfully. Aria smiled silghtly. Lynn sniffled a bit and she looked over at Aria.

 

“Thank you for bringing these over Lynn.” said Aria.

 

“Yeah, Lynnie.” said Gladio, sniffling a bit. “Thanks.”

 

“No problem. I’ll gladly keep bringing them over.”

 

“How much more is on Disc 1?” said Gladio.

 

“Two more little vloggy things and then a stupid thing I did.”

 

“What? What stupid thing?” said Gladio.

 

“Remember the job I quit after two days?”

 

“Yeah...”

 

“You’re gonna see the full story.” said Lynn.

 

“Oh holy shit. Like the _full_ story? Not the half assed version you told us?”

 

“Yep!” said Lynn.

 

“ _OK, so this is month number 2… So yeah… Slightly more prominent stomach stuff now. A little more fatigue… A LOT more nausea and morning sickness. That’s about it… Heading to the boys’ house in a few so we’ll check in with them when we get there…”_

 

“That’s right! This was before you moved in!” said Gladio.

 

“She lived with us?” said Aria.

 

“For about a year… Then she moved out saying that “her job was done” and that we needed to be alone with you...” said Gladio.

 

“Aww...” said Aria.

 

“Hey. I felt bad that I kept going out on dates and leaving you guys alone.”

 

“We didn’t mind...” said Gladio.

 

“Ignis did… He wouldn’t say anything, but I could tell...”

 

“Really?” said Gladio.

 

“Yeah. I… Don’t think he liked Frankie too much...”

 

“Sweetie, _no one_ liked Frankie...”

 

“Hey… I did. But he died last year anyway...” said Lynn.

 

“Really?! How?”

 

“Drug overdose...”

 

“Damn… That sucks.”

 

“Yeah, but we’re not here to talk about Frankie...”

 

“True.”

 

“ _You OK, Lynn?” said Gladio, staring into the camera._

 

“ _Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” said Lynn._

 

“ _You_ do _look rather green, dear...” said Ignis._

 

“ _It’s just nausea. It’s normal.” said Lynn. “Tell Gladio about the doctor’s appointment!”_

 

“ _I um… I heard the baby’s heartbeat.” said Ignis, looking at Gladio._

 

“ _HOLY SHIT! Really?” said Gladio._

 

“ _Yep!” said Lynn. “I thought he was gonna cry.”_

 

“ _I nearly did.” Ignis admitted._

 

“ _It was cute.” said Lynn._

 

“ _Did it sound OK?’ said Gladio._

 

“ _It was a bit fast to me... But the OBGYN said that it was normal...”_

 

“ _Yeah.” said Lynn._

 

“ _Lynn, are you sure you’re OK?” said Gladio._

 

“ _Uh huh. I’m just a bit nauseous. It’ll pass.” Lynn said._

 

“ _Do you want to sit down?” said Ignis._

 

“ _No. I’m gonna head out in a few anyway. I haven’t been sleeping much and I’m just exhausted.” said Lynn._

 

“ _Get some rest, Lynnie. We need ya’.” said Gladio._

 

“ _Yes. Please.”_

 

“ _Got it.” said Lynn._

 

_The screen faded to black._

 

“God, that seemed like all we cared about was Aria… and not you.” said Gladio.

 

“Eh. You were excited about the heartbeat.” said Lynn.

 

“But you were feeling ill.” said Gladio.

 

“It’s fine, Gladdy… Really.”   


“It did sort of seem like you two didn’t care about Lynn at all.” said Aria.

 

“They did, hon. Really. This was just a half-assed vlog on my part. I remember I felt like absolute death when I got to my car and I ended up pulling off the side of the road and throwing up halfway home.”

 

“Lynn...” said Gladio.

 

“I went home and I got some rest. I felt normal the next morning.” said Lynn with a shrug.

 

_The camera statics to life. Lynn is sitting in front of it. Her eyes are red and puffy, as though she had been crying. She is sitting in the same room as her previous vlogs._

 

“ _Hey… so.. I did a stupid thing… * sniff * So I don’t exactly look like I’m pregnant, right? I decided to head over to the local strip club and apply for a job as a dancer. Stupid right? So, I randomly get hired. I told Gladio and Ignis I worked in an office so… shhh. I show up for work and I learn the dances and shit. Everything’s going great for like two weeks, OK? So, I show up as usual and one of the dudes that’s usually there spotted me. I thought nothing of it and I go about my way, doing my dances and such. I finish my dance and head back to the dressing room as usual, right… The dude from before is there! Like, WTF? He’s just… chillin’, like playing with the shit on my dressing table. I freaked out a little. I was all “Hey. Uh.. what the hell you doin’ back here, bro?” He gave me this creepy half smile and he came up really close to me. Like uncomfortably close. “Hey beautiful, how ‘bout a special dance. Just you and me...” This guy says. I’m really creeped the fuck out by now. I politely refused him. He grabs me and says “Come on Princess. I know how to make you feel good.” At this point, I’m terrified. He’s way too close and I can smell the alcohol on his breath. I kicked him square in the nuts and I bolted into the costume room, locking myself in. I dialed Gladio’s number and I told him to come get me and that I was locked in the costume room. Twenty minutes later, I heard a chair hit the wall and the costume room door swung open. I tackled Gladio and he gave me a hard glare. “Get your shit. We’re leaving. Now!” Gladio said, his voice gruff. I hurriedly grabbed my things and I piled into Gladio’s truck. We were quiet until we pulled out of the strip club. “Spill it.” Gladio said. “What?” I said. “Why were you there? Never thought you’d swing that way...” said Gladio. “I um… I work there.” I said. “You WHAT?!” Gladio said, slamming on the brakes. He turned and he looked at me. “You said you worked in an office building! You lied to us?!” I looked down at the ground. “Gladio… I...” “No. I don’t want to fucking hear it! A strip club?! Come on, LYNNETTE!” said Gladio. “I just wanted to make extra money… It was never anything that was permanent…” I said, “I just… I don’t know.” Gladio had scoffed and he floored it. We arrived at Gladio and Ignis’ house. Gladio opened his car door and he stomped inside. I slowly walked inside behind him. I heard Gladio yelling as I reached the door. I saw Ignis shake his head in disappointment and my heart sank. It’s one thing to disappoint Gladio… But Ignis… God, I never meant to disappoint him… Anyway, Ignis approached me, seeming to sense me at the door. He placed his gloved hand on my shoulder. “Lynn, why did you lie to us?” He said, calmly. I simply shook my head, unable to answer. “ANSWER HIM, LYNN!” Gladio yelled. Ignis whipped around, knowing exactly where his husband was. “Gladio, stop! She’s obviously sorry.” I nodded. “I’ll um.. I’ll find a way back home… Thanks for the save Gladio.” “Lynn, wait…” said Ignis, “Come in. I’ll make you a cup of Ebony and we can talk about what happened.” “N-no. It’s OK.. I’m fine.” Ignis sighed. “You’re sure?” said Ignis, I nodded. Ignis shot me a sympathetic smile. “Lynn, I could call you an uber.” “Iggy, she’s fine. She deserves to walk home.” said Gladio. “Gladiolus!” Ignis said. “Iggy, it’s fine. I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t have lied to you guys and something bad could have happened tonight because I did...” I said, my voice shaking. Gladio seemed to calm down a bit and he looked at me. “Are you alright?” Ignis said. “I’ll live.” I said. “I’m sorry I flipped out on you, Lynnie, but you worried me and I hate being lied to.” said Gladio. I nodded. “I’m gonna go now.” “Stay. At least until we figure out what happened.” said Gladio. I shook my head. “I’ve gotta get home...” “Then I’ll take you.” said Gladio. “I’ll come along.” said Ignis with a smile. Ignis gently pushed me out the door and we piled into Gladio’s car. It was a quiet drive. I looked at my feet in the backseat. Ignis looked at me from the passenger seat. “You’re quiet Lynn.” “Yeah...” I said. Ignis gave me a frown and he turned back toward the front. We pulled up to my place soon after. There was a car in my driveway. Gladio turned to me and he parked the car out front. “You know the car?” said Gladio. I shook my head. Gladio turned to Ignis. “I’m going to walk her to the door… I don’t trust this.” “Right. I’ll be here.” said Ignis. I opened the door and I began to walk to the door, Gladio following right behind me, his hand on my shoulder. I walked by the car and the guy from the strip club was sitting in it. I tensed up. Gladio’s hand squeezed my shoulder. The strip club guy got out of the car as soon as we passed it. Gladio turned around, protecting me with his body. The strip club guy tried to side step Gladio. “Come on baby!” The strip club guy screamed. “You need to go.” said Gladio. “You’d really fuck this guy over me? His dick’s probably the size of a pea!” Strip Club guy said. “Fuck off.” I said, pushing past Gladio. “How the fuck’d you get my address you creep?” Strip Club guy grinned and stepped toward me, “You’re very predictable, sweet cheeks. I followed you home.” Gladio slid in front of me, pushing Strip Club guy away from me. “You need to go… before I make you go.” said Gladio. “What are you gonna do, big guy?” said Strip Club Guy. Gladio grinned and he held up his phone. It had 911 on the screen. “You really wanna push me...” said Gladio. Strip Club Guy growled and he hopped into the car and left. Gladio looked over at me. “You’re staying with us tonight. I’d bet that he’d come back and try some shit with you.” I nodded. We’ve reached the present. Gladio is waiting like a body guard outside my door. I’m packing a few things and I’m leaving the house. I plan on going to work in the morning, quitting and telling them what had happened with Strip Club Guy. I don’t know what the hell to do at this point. Day to day I guess… So yeah. Welcome to month 3 of my pregnancy...”_

 

“Holy crap, Lynn!” said Aria.

 

“Yeah. End of Disc 1. That ass hole is still out there…” said Lynn.

 

“I’m sorry I was such an ass back then.”

 

“Gladio, you saved my life. I probably would have ended up dead.” said Lynn.

 

“Glad to do it, Lynnie.” said Gladio. “So, shall we grab some lunch and then go on to disc 2?”

 

“I’d love that!” said Aria.

 

“Yeah. Shall we take Aria to our old hang out?” said Lynn.

 

“Is it still in business?” said Gladio.

 

“Yep. I go there like three times a week.” said Lynn.

 

“You keep the Shake Shack in business huh?” said Gladio.

 

“I try.”


	12. Chapter 12

Aria grinned. Lynn and Gladio got up off the couch and the three of them piled into Lynn’s truck. They drove off to the Shake Shack. It was an old fifties style diner. It was box shaped and silver on the outside but extremely homey looking on the inside. A woman behind the counter smiled and she approached the three. She wore a faded pink poodle skirt with a matching pink shirt and her grey hair was hidden behind a small hat. 

“Oh my Goodness! Is that Gladio?” 

“Hey Tess.” said Gladio with a smile.

Tess gave Gladio an enormous hug. “You’ve been a stranger, darlin’!” 

“I know I know. I’ve been… overcome with grief, I suppose.” said Gladio.

“So this is…?”

“I’m Aria.” said Aria.

“No way… This is little Aria?!” said Tess.

“Yeah, she’s an old lady now...” Gladio joked , putting his arm around her.

“I am not!” Aria said.

“But boy oh boy does she look like Ignis...” said Tess.

“Yeah. She does.” said Gladio.

“Well, come on in. Lynn, the usual for ya’?” said Tess.

“You know it!” said Lynn.

“You still get the burger and fries?” said Gladio.

“Yep. I can’t help it. I’m a creature of habit.” Lynn said.

“Hey Tess! You remember my usual?” said Gladio, grinning.

“Vanilla milkshake with chocolate shavings, water, Double Cheeseburger with fries and a side salad with italian.” said Tess, grinning as she placed a set of silverware at a table.

“Damn! You have a great memory.” said Gladio, sitting down.

“Ooh. That sounds good. May I order that?” said Aria.

“Like father like daughter.” said Tess. “Sure, Aria. Though Ignis always ordered something similar.”

Gladio chuckled. “Yeah. He was the only one of us who’d change his order every time he came in.”

“He always claimed to want to try everything on the menu.” said Lynn.

“And he’d tell us like it is if he didn’t like it.” said Tess. “And ol’ Bill would change it.”

“Yeah. I miss Bill.” said Lynn.

“Yeah. He passed away about a year ago.” said Tess.

“Sorry to hear that Tess.” said Gladio.

“It’s all good.” said Tess. “I’ll put your orders in. Food should be out soon.”

Tess walked away from the table. Gladio looked around the place. He grinned as he caught Aria messing with a small little jukebox on the table. Lynn passed Aria a coin. Aria grinned at her as she popped it in the machine. She hit a button and the machine played an old fifties song. 

“Neat.” said Aria.

“This place hasn’t changed. At all.” said Gladio, “The only thing that has is that Tess has grey hair now.” 

“So do you.” said Lynn.

“Well, your hair is almost white so shut it.” said Gladio with a grin.

Lynn laughed. “Fair enough, Gladdy.” 

Aria tapped Lynn on the shoulder. “Bathroom?”

“Over there by the kitchen door. Make a left.” said Lynn with a smile.

“Thanks. Be right back.” said Aria.

Aria rose from her seat, leaving Lynn and Gladio alone. 

“So, you just come here for nostalgia purposes?” said Gladio.

“Sorta.” Lynn said.

“Lynn?” said Gladio.

“Yeah?”

“Do you come alone?” said Gladio.

“Yep. I do almost everything alone anymore, Gladio.”

Gladio frowned. “Have you had any altercations with SCG?”

“Yeah, one.” said Lynn. “Right after Ignis’ funeral.”

“What?! Seriously?” said Gladio.

“Yep.” said Lynn.

“What happened?” said Gladio.

“Nothing. It’s fine.” said Lynn.

“Lynn...”

“Gladio, drop it.” said Lynn.

“Lynn...”

“It’s fine, Gladio.”

“Tell me.” said Gladio.

Lynn sighed. “He pulled a knife on me, I kicked him in the nuts, I got sliced, cops were called. It’s all good.”

“He pulled a knife on you?! And you didn’t call me?!” said Gladio.

“You told me to stay the fuck out of your life remember? You didn’t want to hear from me.” said Lynn.

Gladio let out a sigh, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Gladio, don’t worry about it.” said Lynn. “It’s in the past.”

“I feel like such an ass.” said Gladio.

“You are an ass. But it’s ok, hon.” said Lynn.

“Ha ha… Funny, Lynn.” said Gladio.

Tess brought a tray full of milkshakes to the table. Gladio and Aria got vanilla and Lynn got a kit kat one. Gladio eyed Lynn’s milkshake. Lynn grinned. 

“You still love Kit Kats huh?” said Gladio.

“Hell yeah! It’s one thing from the pregnancy that stuck.” said Lynn.

Gladio chuckled. “Lynn, I’m honestly sorry how things ended up playing out. I shouldn’t have blamed you for anything. It wasn’t your fault and I was just looking for someone to blame.”

“Yeah, well… I should have been there when he passed, for you, ya’ know. I really tried to get there but my sister just kept fuckin’ talking.” said Lynn.

Gladio chuckled. “I just felt alone, you know…”

“I was flooring it, Gladdy. I don’t think I’ve ever driven that fast in my life.” said Lynn.

Gladio took a deep breath as he blinked rapidly. “Fuck…” 

“Hey. Don’t get all teary on me man. You’ll make me cry.” said Lynn.

Gladio chuckled. “I love the fact that we’re on speaking terms again...”

“You aren’t kiddin’! I have a friend again.” said Lynn.

“You had friends, Lynnie...”

“Not ones that meant as much to me as you did.” said Lynn.

“You’re getting a hug later.” said Gladio. 

“I look forward to it. I miss the Gladio bear hugs.” said Lynn.

Gladio laughed. “yeah yeah...”

Aria arrived back at the table and she grinned at the milkshake that was waiting for her. “Yes!!!”

Gladio chuckled and he waited for Aria to take her first sip before he spoke. “Good?”

“Best milkshake ever!” said Aria.

“Right! These guys make the best!” said Lynn.

The food arrived soon after. The three were quiet as they ate. Tess came back a little while later to check and see if everything came out OK. She left after making some small talk with Gladio.

“So, back to the house and more DVD watching after this?” said Aria.

“Yeah….” said Lynn.

“You OK?” said Gladio.

“Uh huh. Just um… I know what’s on that second disc…” said Lynn.

“And that’s bad?” said Aria.

“No… I just… Remember the fight I mentioned?” said Lynn.

“Yeah...”

“He didn’t talk to me for two weeks after that….” said Lynn. 

“That’s cuz we couldn’t find you for two weeks.” said Gladio.

“What? You went AWOL?” said Aria.

“Yeah. I didn’t want to face Ignis after what I had done. I’ve never seen him so angry. I thought he’d never forgive me.” said Lynn.

“It’s understandable, hon.” said Gladio, laying a gentle hand on Lynn’s shoulder.

“I’ve got this. Let’s go.”

“Oh no you don’t. I’m the gentleman here...”

“When have you ever been a gentleman?” Lynn teased.

“I’m always a gentleman.” said Gladio with a smile.

“It must be when I’m not around then...” said Lynn.

“Oh ha ha.” said Gladio.”

“I try...” said Lynn, grabbing the check before Gladio could.

“Dammit. Why are you so fast?!” said Gladio, glaring down Lynn.

“Cuz I am.” said Lynn, smirking.

Lynn paid for lunch and the three walked out of the diner. Everyone climbed back into Lynn’s truck and they drove back to Gladio and Aria’s house. Lynn locked her truck and then she followed the other two in the house.

“So disc two!” said Aria, settling back in her chair.

“Yep. Changing discs now.” said Gladio.

Gladio quickly changed out the discs and Lynn hit play on the main menu. 

Lynn’s face appeared. “So it’s been two weeks since SCG. Ignis and Gladio have convinced me to move in with them temporarily. Neither one trusts my neighborhood, especially with SCG running around. Anyway, I’ve been here for about a week and a half. Iggy and Gladio are both at work right now so I have time to vlog a bit. I’m going to start mounting my camera so I can catch little candid things that the boys do. It’ll be cute and then I have blackmail if I need it. Hehehe. But anyway, life with these two has been decent. Ignis sure knows his way around a kitchen which reminds me to try and get that breaded cutlet recipe from him…. SOOOO yummy.”

“Never did get that...” Lynn muttered.

“It’s in the notebook.” said Gladio.

“I’ll steal it then.” said Lynn.

“Look at you, stealing from a dead man...” said Gladio, shaking his head.

“Hey! He said I could have it….” said Lynn.

“I’m just messin’ with you, lady. Sheesh.”

Lynn smacked Gladio’s arm and he laughed.

“Any how, Gladdy’s helping me bring the rest of my shit over today. Ignis said while we’re out, he’ll cook something good. I sure as hell hope so. Either that or I’ll have to drag the boys to The Shake Shack...” 

“And The Shake Shack gets mentioned in the vlog! It’s famous now!” said Gladio.

Lynn laughed. “Yep!”

“I’m gonna leave this vlog here and we’ll catch up later.” 

The camera goes dark. When it comes up again, Lynn and Gladio are sitting on the couch. Lynn is wrapped up in a blanket next to Gladio. The camera swings around the room and Ignis’ face shows up. He lays a finger in front of his lips and he swings the camera around again. Lynn’s eyes are closed, her head resting on the arm of the couch. Gladio nods and he reaches his arms out and grabs her, startling her awake. 

“What?” said Lynn, glaring at him.

“Smile, you’re on candid camera.” said Gladio.

Ignis’ chuckle is heard from behind the camera. Lynn glares at the camera/ Ignis. She tosses a pillow at the blind man and an “oof” is heard. Gladio chuckles, wrapping his arms gently around her. 

“You know we love you. Go to bed, sleepy head.” 

“It’s 9:30, Gladio. I didn’t do shit today. So why the hell am I tired?”

“You’ve got a baby growing inside you. It takes a lot out of you, dear.” said Ignis.

“Yeah. Go sleep before I have to carry your pregnant ass.” 

Lynn groaned. “Fine….” 

Lynn is seen walking back toward one of the rooms. Gladio takes the camera from Ignis’ hands and he grins at it before shutting it off.

“Pregnancy takes a toll on you.” said Lynn.

“Yeah, you took like 3 naps a day and you were still tired.” said Gladio.

“Really?” said Aria.

“Yep!” said Lynn.

“Though the third month was the toughest I think...” said Gladio.

“How so?” said Lynn.

“Your mood swings. WHOO!”

Lynn laughed. “That’s true. Ignis walked on eggshells for a long time… Sorry. My hormones went a little nuts...”

“A little...”

“OK, a lot nuts...”

Lynn’s face appeared on the screen. “Alright… Both of the boys aren’t home so I’m gonna mount this thing and start doing the mounted vloggy thingys.”

Static. The camera pops back to Lynn and Ignis standing in the middle of the nursery.

“HOW THE HELL IS THAT OK LYNNETTE?!” Ignis screamed.

“It was one cigarette, Ignis. One cigarette is not going to--”

“THAT’S NOT THE POINT, LYNN!!! IT’S NOT JUST YOUR BODY ANYMORE!”

Lynn seemed to stop breathing in place. Ignis shook his head, his fury seeming to bubble up into the camera itself. Lynn’s head dropped. She was staring at her feet.

“I’m sorry...” Lynn said, softly.

“I’m so unbelievably angry at you, Lynnette. I need to be alone for a while.”

Lynn nodded. Ignis left the room, slamming the door to the nursery behind him. Lynn stood alone in the middle of the room for a while. She slowly pulled a red and white package out of her back pocket. The pack of cigarettes. She crumpled the package in her hand and she stormed out of the room. 

The camera cuts out. When it comes back, Gladio and Ignis are standing in the nursery once more. 

“She did what?!” said Gladio.

“I caught her on the balcony smoking. She can’t do this, Gladio...”

“Where is she?” said Gladio.

“I haven’t seen her.” said Ignis.

“Funny.”

“… Nor do I care.” said Ignis.

“Ignis...”

“I don’t! She wasn’t the right choice Gladio… We were wrong.”

“Whoa. Wait a God damn minute here...”

Ignis sat in the nearby rocker, looking out the large window. “Who cares where she is?”

“You do.” said Gladio.

“I do not...”

“Ignis, you care. You love her as much as you love me. She fucked up, yeah, but don’t hold it against her too much. She probably feels shitty enough as it is. She was the right choice. She just screwed up.”

Ignis sighed. “I hate it when you’re right, Gladio.”

“So… any leads on where she could be?” said Gladio.

“Her apartment?” said Ignis.

“Let’s start there.”

The camera cuts out. It comes back to Ignis and Gladio in the nursery with a giant map of the city spread out before them. Gladio has a pen in his hand and Ignis is in the rocking chair on the phone.

“Yes… I’ll do well to let you know if we find her, Prompto. Thanks for the info. Bye.” said Ignis.

“Anything?” said Gladio.

“Nothing. He hasn’t seen her.” said Ignis.

“Shit. What’s next?” said Gladio.

“Calling her parents?” said Ignis.

“Out of the question. They disowned her the minute she told them about us and what happened.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, she didn’t tell ya’?”

“No.. no she didn’t...”

“She shot me a text about it a few weeks back.” said Gladio.

“Right around the time she was smoking?” said Ignis, looking guilty.

“Yeah, actually...” said Gladio.

Ignis sighed. “Dammit. It’s been two weeks Gladio… I don’t think we’ll ever--”

The nursery door opened. Lynn walked in leaning against the door. She looks like shit.

“Lynn?” said Gladio.

“Oh my God...” said Ignis.

“Before anyone says anything, I’m fine. I was staying at a friend’s house and then I went back to my place a few days ago. I know I don’t deserve it, but...”

“Get your ass over here.” said Gladio, standing up and running toward her.

He pulled her into a big bear hug. Lynn wrapped his arms around him and she squeezed him tightly. Gladio released her, kissing her forehead. Lynn gave Gladio a small smile and her eyes found Ignis. Ignis stood with his cane in his right hand. 

“Ignis, I--”

“If you ever leave us again without telling us where you’re going, I’ll stick this cane so far up your ass...”

Lynn chuckled. “Sorry I worried you.”

“Get over here..” Ignis said, his voice breaking.

Lynn walked over to him. He pulled her to him in a crushing hug. Lynn buried her head in Ignis’ shoulder and she hugged him back. Lynn wiped her eyes as she pulled apart from Ignis. Gladio stepped closer to the both of them. 

“Alright. Now. We’re all OK, right?” said Gladio.

“Well, there is one thing...” said Lynn, grinning. “Come outside.”

“Why?” said Gladio.

“Because I need some help with some stuff.” Lynn said.

“What stuff?” said Ignis.

“Baby stuff.” said Lynn.

“Just so long as there are no ‘lady parts’ involved.” Ignis said with a wink.

“Never living that down am I?”

“Nope.” Lynn and Ignis said at the same time.

“Aww. They were worried about you.” said Aria.

“Yeah. I tend to have some moments when I get caught up in my own head. I just… needed to get away before I hurt Ignis even more.” Lynn said.

“You know he would have understood.” said Gladio.

“At that point, I was actually afraid of him. I had already disappointed him. That killed me inside. That was the reason why I left...”

“Ignis knew that. He blamed himself for forcing you out. That’s why he reacted the way he did when you came back.”

“I know..” Lynn said.

“Lynn?”

“Yeah, Aria?”

“Was Ignis… violent?” said Aria.

“What? No! Never!” said Lynn. “It’s just me being weird...”

“Then what were you afraid of?” said Aria.

“Failure. Disapointing someone close to me… Losing someone close to me..” said Lynn.

Gladio looked away, tears prickling his eyes. Lynn squeezed his shoulder. He looked back at her.

“You and I… We were supposed to stay together… but I just… I couldn’t...” said Gladio. “It just… it hurt so much.”

“I get it, Gladdy. Really. “ 

Gladio sighed and he pointed to the TV. “Is there more?”

“Yeah… There is ...”

The camera clicks into focus. We’re in a doctor’s office. Gladio is holding the camera as Ignis tries to bat it out of his hand. Lynn is laying on the bed in the room, she chuckles at Ignis. Gladio walks over and he zooms in on the screen in the room. 

“Yo. We’re getting an ultrasound today.” said Gladio.

“And you stole my camera from the nursery.” said Lynn.

“Right.” said Ignis. “Why was it in there anyway?”

“No reason. Just flimin’ the new furniture and stuff.” Lynn said.

“Ah.” said Gladio. “Anyway… I get to see the baby for the first time today.” 

“And you’re going to cry.” said Ignis.

“I am not.” said Gladio.

“Yes you are. Ignis did the first time he saw it.” Lynn said.

“Yes, I did.” Ignis admitted sheepishly.

A doctor entered the room. “Hi!”

“Hey Doc.” said Lynn.

“Wait… you have a MALE OB/GYN?”

“Yeah, so?” said Lynn.

“Nothing, nothing… carry on.” said Gladio.

“You must be Gladio.” said the doctor with a smile. “I’m Doctor Ian Banner. I’ve been working with Lynn for a while now. Nice to finally put a face with a name.”

“Nice to meet you too, Dr. Banner.” said Gladio.

“Right. So! We’re ultrasounding you today, right, Lynn?”

“Yep! Gladio gets to see the baby.” Lynn said.

“OK. Well, first, let’s get your vitals and all that stuff.”

Dr. Banner took Lynn’s vitals and he prepped her for an ultrasound. Lynn took a few deep breaths and the baby’s head appeared on the screen. Gladio zoomed in on it. 

“Hey, baby.” said Gladio softly.

“Yep. There’s the baby’s head… there’s it’s fingers…. And it’s feet.” said Dr. Banner.

“Holy shit.” Gladio said.

“Told you you’d cry.” Lynn said.

“I’m not crying…. I’m… misting.”

Everyone else laughed. The camera clicked off. 

“Misting huh?” said Lynn, nudging Gladio.

“Shut up...” Gladio said, blushing red.

The camera clicked back on. The crew is now at home. Gladio is behind the camera once again. The camera pans to Ignis and Lynn, both sound asleep on the couch. Lynn’s head is in Ignis’ lap. Gladio chuckles from behind the camera. He zooms in on the sleeping duo. Ignis grunts in his sleep as he adjusts himself. The camera zooms out as Gladio flips it around, talking as he walks to the nursery. 

“These two have been out since we got back from the doctor’s. It’s refreshing to see them relaxed. I’m happy Lynn feels comfortable around Ignis again since the fight a few weeks ago. I’ve… gotten used to seeing Lynn around the house. It’s nice to come home and see her, y’know. Not that Ignis isn’t enough for me. I love them both and I always will. Anyway, I’m going to end this here. I just want you to know, baby Amicitia-Scientia, that your father and Godmother mean everything to me.”

The camera clicks off.

“You mean that?” said Lynn.

“Yeah...” said Gladio. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Who knows?” Lynn said. 

“I didn’t want you to move out, Lynn. Seriously. Ignis and I talked about it after you told us you felt like you overstayed your welcome. Neither one of us wanted you to go.” said Gladio.

“Then why’d you let me?” Lynn said.

“It wasn’t our call, hon. You wanted it and we weren’t going to stop you.” said Gladio.

“You should have.” said Lynn, looking at her feet. 

“Was it that bad?” said Gladio.

“Oh yeah.” said Lynn. “I lived with Frankie remember?”

“Oh yeah...”

“Frankie?” said Aria.

“Frankie was an ex of mine who did drugs… heavily. I never partook, but Ignis was always wary when he was around. Especially around you… You’ll see him in the later DVDs. Frankie and I started dating when I was around six months pregnant.”

“Ignis threatened to drug test you at the door.” Gladio said, holding back a chuckle.

“I would have too. I ended up moving out two weeks after Ignis’ funeral cuz he tried to roofie me.”

“What?!” Gladio said.

“Yep. He came home higher than a kite one night and he tried to drug me.”

“What the fuck?” said Gladio. “I never liked him...”

“So, what happened to him?” said Aria.

“He died of a drug overdose last year. I got his house in the will but I ended up selling it. I just cleaned out his shit and moved it to a box in my garage. It’s still there collecting dust.”

“Ignis’ stuff’s all in our garage too. I haven’t brought myself to go through it...” Gladio said.

“We should.” said Aria.

“Aria...”

“Come on, dad. It may be theraputic for us all.”


End file.
